Sweep augers are known. Typically they have an outer bearing wheel to support the auger and to assist in driving the auger around a cylindrical bin. Originally the wheel was mounted on the sweep auger shaft and rotated with it at the same rpm, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,820, to some of applicants, Oct. 24, 1989, which also teaches a smaller wheel running on an elevated track at sweep auger rpm. This approach has problems, as a soft wheel surface providing traction wore out, while a hard surface wore out slower, but might not provide traction. Other solutions, such as a shaft coaxial in the auger shaft at reduced rpm driving a sprocket engaging a track, auxiliary motors driving wheels at reduced rpm often engaging tracks, have been tried, are all cumbersome and expensive. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,538, to Sukup, Feb. 3, 1981 teaches a double flanged reduced wheel driven by a shaft running on a elevated bin track, although not specifically a solution for sweep augers, it could be adapted for them. For reasons of safety and wear, it was preferred to reduce the rpm of the wheel relative to the rpm of the auger shaft. One solution, U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,093, to Meyer, Oct. 20, 1987, teaches an off-center wheel driven by a terminal sprocket on a sweep auger shaft, engaging a sprocket chain internal to the wheel periphery. U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,200, to Jiskoot, Jun. 17, 1997 teaches a drive wheel behind the sweep auger. The auger shaft turns a small sprocket and chain engaging a larger driven sprocket above and outside the auger outer end. A shaft from the larger sprocket bears an eccentric disc, which has a bearing band with an attached bar engaging a ratchet wheel mounted coaxially with the drive wheel, advances ratchet and drive wheel with rotation of the larger sprocket. A pivot arm also engages the ratchet and prevents retrograde movement of the drive wheel. Applicant in 2000 invented built and sold a reduction drivebox specifically designed to drive a wheel, at the outer end of the auger, roughly the same diameter as the auger. The drivebox is between the auger and the wheel, which is axially aligned with the auger shaft. U.S. pat. appln. Ser. No. 2004/0228711, to Hanig, Nov. 18, 2004 teaches the auger shaft turning a small sprocket engaging a chain driving a large sprocket which turns a small terminal sprocket engaging a sprocket chain internal to the wheel periphery. Essentially Hanig adds a reduction sprocket and chain to Meyer. A drawback is that the wheel by itself can neither move through compacted grain nor move it to the auger. The auger itself cannot remove compacted grain in front of the wheel. The situation is worsened by any space or gap between wheel and auger flighting end, which in practice is impossible to avoid, although it can be minimised. In general all sweep augers tend to jam once in a while in compacted grain. The operator will then enter the bin and kick or shove the auger, sometimes using a lever, occasionally this results in deleterious operator-auger interaction.
A principal object of the invention is to provide a sweep auger drive wheel having peripheral blades, which agitates granules at the outer edge of the storage bin in front of the drive wheel.
The blades simultaneously provide contact with the floor of the storage bin, and propel the auger forward into the granules. A subsidiary object of the invention is to provide an elevator having a housing and deflector plate adjacent, behind and associated with the drive wheel, whereby grain carried upward and rearward by the drive wheel discharges into the auger flighting via the deflector plate. Another subsidiary object of the invention is to provide a reduction transmission so that the auger drive wheel revolves considerably slower than the auger. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide a drivebox containing said reduction transmission. It is a further subsidiary object to provide the elevator drive wheel as part of a sweep auger. It is a further subsidiary object to provide the elevator drive wheel to retrofit an existing sweep auger. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art, from the following specification, accompanying drawings and appended claims, and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
The invention is primarily directed to a drive wheel having peripheral blades to drive it wheel, break up compacted grain and move it backward. The wheel has an associated elevator housing and a reduction transmission. It will be also understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to such wheels, blades, elevators, transmissions and driveboxes.